Crossroad Heart
by Threaded Needles
Summary: After Elsa accidentally hurts her younger sister, she makes a deal with a suspicious looking demon who gives her ten years to live.
1. Prologue

† ✞ ✝ _PROLOGUE_ † ✞ ✝

She had heard the myth, everyone had at one point or another. No one was desperate enough to try it, at least not until now.

Elsa quivered when she dropped her campus ID into the box, alongside the cat bone and graveyard dirt, quickly shutting it before she lost her nerve. There was no way it was going to possibly work, she reassured herself firmly, no need to get upset. And yet the only thing she wanted was for it to.

She dropped the tin box into the hole she had made, covering it with the small pile of dirt leftover. Goosebumps rose to the surface of her skin, looking around wildly, _hoping, hoping, hoping._

When it was apparent nothing was happening, she felt herself kneel to the ground and tears flow down her cheeks. This had been her last chance, her _only_ chance. And yet it still wasn't enough.

A twig snapped, and her head shot up, looking around for the source of the sound. She stood hastily, wiping off her eyes. A tall man dressed in black stood in the exact place where she had buried the box.

"You rang?"

She opened her mouth. "Who are you?"

A grin spread over his face. "A salesman. Before my crimes I was known as Hans."

Her eyes swept over him. He was dressed in a neatly tailored suit, and had dark auburn hair that was styled neatly. The only thing out of place was the dark green eyes that momentarily flashed red.

"So why'd you call?"

"I need you to save my sister?"

He inspected a fingernail. "Let me guess. You killed her and now realize you can't live without her, even if it means spending eternity in hell?"

She opened her mouth wordlessly, angered. "But you can do it?"

"Yes," He took a step towards her. "I'll return Anna to her pre-death state, and she'll stay that way. In ten years, _however_, your soul is mine to take."

Her eyes widened. "No, the lore book said-"

"Said what, honey?" He grabbed her chin, thumb digging into the skin. "That you just go to hell when you die? Not everyone gets the same offer, there has to be a price equal to what needs to be done." He released her, tucking his hands into his pockets. "I'll let you think a moment."

"Yes," She replied automatically.

"You sure you don't want another moment? Imagine poor Anna having to live without her sister, no aunt for her children, no maid of honor at her wedding-"

"Yes," She repeated, more firmly.

"Very well then." He pulled her towards him and kissed her.


	2. Year One

❅ ❄ ❆ **Year One** ❆ ❄ ❅

"_Anna_?"

Elsa watched, relieved, as her sister rolled to her side to glare at her. "Elsa, the sky's asleep."

"I know, just..." She grabbed the younger girl's hand, rubbing the pad of her thumb over Anna's knuckles. "I wanted to make sure you were okay."

Anna raised an eyebrow, then side, readjusting, throwing back the covers. "Did you have a nightmare?"

_That must have been it, _Elsa decided firmly, sinking into the bed alongside the eight year old. The cold whip of the wind, the hot breath of the stranger, eyes burning red before their mouths melted together in a haze. _Just a dream_.

She rolled over, resting on her left side, and tucked a strand of Anna's hair behind her ear, listening to the little girl's quiet snores as she quickly fell back into slumber. Like magic, the strand began to grow paler, starting from the root to the tip, until it was completely white.

Her hand recoiled, and with a dawning realization, she knew it hadn't just been a dream.

* * *

Despite her pestering, her parents refused to dye over the white streak in Anna's hair. They say it gave her character, and defeated Elsa took the matters into her own hands, chopping the length off with her father's beard scissors. Anna wailed while holding the long strand in her hands, but Elsa only smirked at the loophole she had found in the contract, even if she was told to stand in the corner for the rest of quiet time.

The next morning, it had grown back.

She tried everything in her power to rid it, but eventually exhaustion took over her. It was a reminder, constant. Anna was to live and she had to die, and the streak was there to remind her what she had given up to regain her sister.

* * *

They go outside to play often. They both like it during Winter the best, so when November rolls back around with chilly airs and banks of snow, they waste no time gearing up in snow coats, boots, hats and gloves. Anna liked building snowmen, while Elsa greatly preferred ice skating. Anna had tried it, and after several consecutive falls had thrown the skates in anger and refused to continue.

While Elsa skated with a couple of her friends on the frozen water on the pond a little way from the house, she kept an eye on Anna roll snowballs in her hand, pegging them at nearby boys that came to join in the rink, or squashed stones into precarious snowpeople.

Just as Eugene, Kristoff and Eric were arriving, Anna decided to cross over onto the ice, slip and fall, looking for her older sister.

"_Elsa_, do you wanna build a _snowman?" _She sang, pulling back her hat with the poofball on it, her cheeks burning red against her pale skin and smattering of freckles. Eugene and Kristoff snickered while Elsa felt herself blush. Ariel nudged her, winking.

"Anna-" She stopped herself from telling Anna to just go back to playing. Hans would get a kick out of that, leaving the little sister she traded her soul for to dance around with a couple of guys. She shook her head, walking over to the edge and unlacing her skates. She was eleven, she had plenty of time to hang out with her friends before she was dragged to hell.

She yanked her boots back on and walked with Anna to a clear field, helping her gather the snow and then push it into balls. She smoothed out the edges while the red head gathered up twigs and stones. Anna decorated the small creation, squishing her cheeks in excitement.

"What do you want to name him?"

"_Olaf_."

"Olaf?"

"Yeah and he likes warm hugs."

* * *

Elsa prepared hot chocolate for both of them when they finally went back inside, fingers stiff from cold, and cheeks burning. Their parents were up in the study working, and the blonde decided it was for the better. More time her and Anna could be together.

Her braid was wet down her back while she prepped the drinks, adding more whipped cream to Anna's and watching the little girl's delightful look.

"Do you wanna watch a movie?" Elsa asked, sipping hers. They had popcorn she could make, and it would keep Anna from bugging her parents.

"Oh my gosh, _yes_, you're the best sister ever!" Anna ran around the table to wrap her little arms around the older girl.

* * *

She turned twelve without anything bad happening. She was showered in clothing and various other presents. Her mom bought a two tier chocolate cake and she watched delightfully as Kristoff and Eugene had a competition to see who could put more in their mouth at once.

Anna giggled watching them, even if she didn't participate.

Halfway through the party, she started receiving phone calls from family, and she took a break to listen to her cousin chatter on and her grandma tell her a present would be in the mail soon. She had barely hung it back on the cradle when it rang with no caller ID.

She didn't hesitate to snatch it up and answer it, though. "Hello?"

"Happy Birthday."

"Who's this?"

"I'm offended. I thought we had a bond after you handed your _soul_ over to me."

"Hans?"

"Bingo," He replied, bored.

She had every right to end the call, but something nagged at her not to. "Uhm, why are you calling me?"

"I was in town, thought- _If you would like to continue, please insert seventy five more cents._"

Elsa rolled her eyes and hung the phone back up, and went back downstairs to the party, deciding not to worry about it anymore.

* * *

On the anniversary of selling her soul, Elsa watched the clock creep towards midnight, wrapped in her blankets nervously. What if Hans was lying and he was coming to get her early? What if he went back on his deal and put Anna back to death?

She padded down the hall to her sisters hall, and sat against the wall, just listening to her sister breathe content while the clock struck midnight, chiming twelve times.

_One year down, nine to go._


	3. Year Two

✭ ✮ ✯**Year Two**✯✮✭

Elsa stared at her menu, stomach turning. She felt sick, her stomach heavy and sloshing, bile in her throat, and her head was pounding with each second that passed. Anna had wanted to go out for dinner for her tenth birthday, and like the good sister she was, Elsa had volunteered to take her out for a short celebration.

The diner was locally owned, and had two waitresses working the floor at that moment. One was a teenager with dark features and hair, the other was a smiley woman in her late 20s, if Elsa had to guess. When they're orders were finally taken, Elsa had the uncomfortable rush of diziness overcome her, and she barely made it into the one person bathroom to empty her stomach contents into the sink.

She sat a long time against the wall, listening to the water slosh against the sink to clean it out. Eventually she stood and slowly texted her parents that she wasn't feeling well and they might need to take over watching Anna. She played with the loose locks of her hair and slowly gathered it in a braid and threw it over a shoulder, rinsed out her mouth, and went back out to Anna.

The red head was sipping her chocolate milkshake and stuffing her face with waffles when Elsa returned, not even bothered by her sisters flushed cheeks or clammy skin. "Upset tummy, sissy?"

"Sort of," Elsa replied, flagging down one of the waitresses to ask for a sprite.

* * *

She's sick later on at the park. Anna had gone home to play checkers with some of her friends, and not wanting to interrupt her she walks down to the park, only to stop and vomit in one of the prickly bushes.

Hands pull her hair back, away from her face and hold it in a knot at the base of her neck. She assumes it's her mom or dad, ready to take her back home, instead when she turns around it's a rather infuriating auburn.

"What are you doing?" She asks, wiping her mouth on the sleeve of hoodie. He stops her though, and mops her mouth up with a handkerchief he pulls from his pocket.

"Making sure you're okay, didn't know you were gonna be an ass about it." A throws the cloth out.

"Why though?"

He gathers her up in his arms, and her chest lays against where his heart should be. It's soundless, and fear shoots through her.

"You've gotta look out for the underdog," He says. The next thing she knows, she's standing on her porch, fingers curled around his tie.

"Are you leaving?" She asked, gently prying her fingers off the silk.

"Do you want me to?"

She peeked into the window. Anna was watching a movie with her friends, ice cream melting in a bowl. She looked back up to Hans. "No not really."

He tucked his hands into his pockets. "Okay, c'mon."

They walked around to the backyard, and in a grassy area he sat down, and then slowly eased so he was laying. After a moment she laid next to him.

"What are you doing?" She whispered.

"Watching the stars. They're not nearly as bright as they were in the 19th century, though."

She looked up at the twinkling stars, breathing in contently.

"Do you know the astrological signs?"

She let her hand travel upward, outlining one of them. "That's Orion's belt, right?"

"Right." His hand gently looped around her wrist and began to drag it. "That's Gemini, there's Aquarius, oh, you can see Venus tonight."

She squinted, not seeing anything particularly interesting in the cluster of twinkles. "Where?"

"There." He pointed to a dot, and she pretended to be enthusiastic.

* * *

Her parents take them to a lake for swimming during the heat of July. She mostly sits on the hot sand in her bikini, drawing in the rocky sand. Anna splashes around in the shallow water and then drags her out with her.

She climbs into the blonde's back. "Swim me!"

"I'm not a very good swimmer."

"Aw, c'mon Elsa!"

She dumped Anna off her back, listening to the little girl squeal. She fixed her braid, and splashed the red head with water.

"Hey that's not fair!"

Her sister's chubby hands threw water at the blonde, but she ducked underwater to avoid it. When she came back up she spit the water out, gagging.

"Ugh."

She looked around for Anna, only to have someone jump on her back. "The throne is mine!"

"Anna, get off!" She giggled, pushing her sister back into the water.

* * *

When classes start again for Elsa, she feels the pressure of high school suddenly crashing down on her. While writing her essay for an English class she almost gives up since she's not going to be really doing anything - she's going to be in hell by the time she's twenty one, so it's not like she's going to need this grade for college or anything.

Regardless, her parents don't know that, so when her grades start slipping, they threaten to get her a tutor and make her do remedial classes as well as summer school.

She starts putting in further effort, but when first semester exams come around and she barely passes Algebra with a 51, and she breaks down crying, her parents look for a tutor while she rests on her bed, staring at the cieling while tears slip from her puffy eyes and her cheeks are wet and burning.

"He's very nice," Her parents later say at the dinner table, passing her a roll. "He's an English major, you'll adore him."

"I'm sure." She stabbed her peas bitterly.

"You can meet him tomorrow at the library." Her mother said gently.

"Great. Anything else?"

Her parents looked at each other, frowning. "Well, his name is Hans."


End file.
